Adding-machine.



A. W. LAWRENCE.

ADDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI. 191e.

1 ,204,284. Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. W. LAWRENCE.

ADDING MACHINE. 4

APPLlcATloN FILED MMI. 191e.

1 ,204,284. Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

m I /0 M E TTOR/VEVS ARTHUR W. LAWRENCE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADDING-MACHINE. v

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

Application led Hay 1, 1916. Serial N o. 94,677.

To all Iwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. LAW- RENCE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of. New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Adding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to adding machines, and more particularly to machines of a simple inexpensive nature and of that type operated by hand through the use of a stylus of suitable nature, my present object being to provide certain improvements in connection with devices of this nature whereby to facilitate their operation in use, prevent undesirable and accidental displacement of the parts, and otherwise increase efliciency for the purposes for which the device is intended. These improvements and the advantages resulting therefrom, will be readily apparent from the following description of the construction, arrangement, and operation of the several parts of my invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the adding device complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken therethrough substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 vis an enlarged detail cross section through a portion thereof, taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, with the inner counting ring locked. Fig. 4 is a similar view with the inner counting ring unlocked. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the device with the cover plate remved. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan of a fragmentary portion of the device, as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through a fragmentary portionof the device. Fig.8 is a detail perspective view of a fragmentary portion of the outer ring. Fig. 9 is a similar view of a portion of the base plate. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the cover plate looking at the under surface thereof.

Referring now to these gures, my 1mproved machine includes an annular base plate 10 having a surrounding upstanding peripheral rib 11 which projects upwardly and 22 are provided with surface series of in spaced relation to the outer peripheral edge of the cover plate 12 when the latter is associated in operative position with the base plate, as shown in Fig. 1, providing an annular channel between the rib 11 and the peripheral edge of the cover plate 12 in which a stylus of suitable nature, such as a pencil, may be passed completely around the cover plate 12.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 4 it will be noted that the lower surface of the base plate 10 and the upper surface of the cover plate 12 are preferably rounded in order to be readily grasped and carried in the hand during operation of the counting mechanism. In addition to its outer rib 11, the base plate 10 is provided in its upper face with an annular groove 13 as best seen by reference to Figs. 3, 4, and 9, the outer wall of which groove, as best seen in the ligure last mentioned, is provided at one point with van angularly formed extension 14 projecting into the groove for a purpose to be hereinafter described, the inner wall of the groove being cut away opposite the cam extension 14 and as shown at 15 in Fig. 9. The upper surface of the base plate s also provided with lan annular groove 16 between the groove 13 and its outer rib 11 and forming a stylus guide, the base of groove 16 being concave for this purpose, in order to accommodate a pencil and the like for the actuation of the counting rings without unnecessarily wearing upon a stylus of this nature.

The top plate 12 and base plate 10 are joined and held in spaced relation by means of an annular rib 17 carried by the cover 12 and from 'which project a plurality of spaced pins 18, these pins 18 extending through apertures 19 in the base 10 for the reception thereof, in order that the two plates may be riveted in connection with one another. Rib 17 also operates to space the inner and outer rings 21 and 22 respectively from one another, and is provided with diametrically opposed cut-out portions or gaps 23 and 23 as best seen by reference to Fig.

numerals 26 progressing in each instance from one to ninety-nine, and each of the rings is provided at its louter edge with a peripheral series of teeth, the teeth 27 of the inner 'ring being in somewhat the form of saw teeth and the teeth 28 of the outer ring being in the nature of spaced projecting fingers, the Aouter ends of which extend approximately to the outer peripheral edge of the cover plate 12, with the exce tion of one finger which is elongated and mdicated at 29, this finger projecting substantially beyond the peripheral edge of the cover plate and constituting a zero setting finger, corresponding in this function to an inwardly projecting inger of the inner ring 21, which latter finger projects inwardly beyond the inner peripheral edges of both the base plate 10 andthe cover plate 12, as clearly seen in Fig. 1. The zero setting finger 29 of the outer ring 22 thus travels in the annular channel between the outer peripheral edge of the cover plate 12 and the outer rib 11 of the base plate 10, and is protected against accidental displacement by the movements of the hand in which the adding device Iis held. Accidental displacement of the inner ring 21 is prevented by a locking means which will now be described.

A locking member in the form of a ball 31` is disposed in the cut-out portion or gap 23 of the cover plate rib 17, the diameter of the ball being greater than the width of the said Fig. 7, in

' order that the inner peripheral edge of the i the ball being held against cut-out portion or gap 23 lock the ring outer ring 22 adjacent the outer surface of the rib 17, will normally hold the ball shifted toward the inner ring 21 and into-engagement with the teeth 27 thereof, so that movement in the of the rib, will 21 against rotation. This is true during the entire rotary movement of the outer ring 22 under actuation of a stylus as hereina er described, except at one point,

where rotation of the outer ring is transferred to the inner ring, the outer ring being provided at this point with a bevel portion 32 as clearly seen by reference to Figs.'4, 5, and 7, into whichthe ball is laterally shiftable out of engagement with the teeth 27 of the inner ring, permitting rotation ofthe latter. y v

To effect the transfer of rotation from the outer ring 22 to the inner ring 21, a lever 33 as seen particularly in Fig. 8, is pivoted at .34 at one end thereof to the under surface of the outer ring 22, the opposite free end of the lever having an outwardly projecting extension 35 and an inwardly projecting toothengaging head 36, the latter working in a slot 37 in the inner peripheral edge of the ring 22, which acts asa guide. This lever 33 is normally held in outer inoperative position, with head 36 the of'slot 37, by means of a iiat spring 38 one end of which is fixed in the free end of the lever 33 and the opposite end of which engages a annular space bearing lug 39 depending from the under plate A10, lever 33 travels in the base 'plate groove 13, so that at one position in its rotation, the extension 35 of the lever comes' into engagement with the cam projection 14 and is thrust inwardly thereby to cause momentary engagement of the head 36 with one of the teeth of the inner ring 21, such engagement resulting in rotation of the inner ring a distance equal to one of the teeth thereof.

Referring again to Fig. 1, it will be noted that, at one side the outer peripheral edge of the cover plate 12 is cut away for some distance to form a keyboard upon each side of a' projection 40, one edge 41 of which projection, and one end 42 of one of the said cut-out portions, constituting limiting ystops for the movement of a stylus, the point of which is projectable into the groove 16 of the base plate between the ngers 28 and 29 of the ,outer ring 22. Each of the keyboards so formed isgprovided with a series of numerals below ten, the keyboard 43 having even numerals below ten and the keyboard ,44 having the uneven numerals below ten, each of the keyboards also having radial grooves 45 extending partly across the upper surface of the cover plate 12 and by means of which a stylus or the like may be guided from the particular numeral of the keyboard outwardly to the stylus-guiding groove 16 betweenv the proper teeth of the outer ring, the base plate 10 having radial grooves ex'- tending through its periphery as indicated at 46 adjacent the limiting shoulders 41 and 42 before mentioned, in order that the stylus lmay be moved outwardly and away from the base plate upon engagement with the said shoulders 41 and 42.

llt is obvious from the foregoing that,

when aI stylus such as a pencil, is placed' rotation indicated at the sight opening 25,

until the numeral 99 appears at this opening,

at which time the lever 33 will have been engaged by the-cam 14 and moved toshift the inner r1ng` a single tooth and expose the numeral one of the inner ring at the sight opening 24 when the zeros of the outer ring' appear at the sight opening 25. It is furthermore obvious that, in view of the movement of the extended finger 29 for -zero setting of the outer ring, within the between the outer edge of the cover plate and the rib 11 of the base plate 10, accidental displacement of the outer ring is effectively prevented, and that, in view of the locking of the inner ring at all, times except upon actuation of.1 lever 33 to shift the inner ring, the said inner ring will be likewise prevented from accidental displacement.

The upper surface of the cover plate 12 may have inner and outer annular series of numerals corresponding to the annular series of numerals of the inner and outer rings, in o-rder that, by viewing the numerals of the counting rings through the sight openings 24 and 25, the relative positions of the zero-setting lingers 29 and 30 of the two counting rings may be determined 'with respect to the circumference of the device, and'instantly located by referring to the series of numerals 47, so that the operator may return first the outer ring and then the inner ring to zero points or any other desired points readily and quickly when desired.

I claim 1. An adding device comprising a casing including a base plate and a cover plate, a counting ring rotatably held between said base and cover plates and covered and protected thereby, means consisting of teeth on the counting ring which may be engaged by a pencil to rotate the ring, said teeth eXtendmg to the peripheral edge only of the cover plate, the said cover plate being cut away partly along its outer peripheral edge to form a keyboard and expose certain of the said pencil-engaging teeth, and the said base plate having its outer peripheral edge extended beyond the outer peripheral edge of the cover plate and provided with an upstanding annular rib opposing the said edge of the cover plate in spaced relation and forming an annular groove therebetween, one of the teeth o'the said ring being extended beyond the peripheral edge of the cover plate and into the said groove to form a zero-setting member.

2. An adding device of the type described comprising a base plate, a cover plate disposed thereon in spaced relation, a counting ring rotatable between the said plates, and provided with stylus engaging means whereby it may be manually rotated, said ring being provided with a radially outstanding zero-setting linger and the outer peripheral edge of the base plate having an upstanding annular rib beyond the end of said zero settting finger and in spaced relation to the outer edge of the cover plate to form an annular upwardly opening `groove in which the said finger is protected and movable whereby to protect the said zero-setting linger and prevent accidental displacement of the said counting ring.

3. An adding device of the type described comprising a base plate, a cover plate disposed thereon and provided with an annular rib upon its lower surface provided with a cut-out portion, inner and outer counting rings rotatable between the cover and base lates upon relatively opposite sides of sald rib, the inner ring of which is providedv with a peripheral series of teeth upon its outer edge, and a locking ball disposed in thecut-out portion of the rib and confined therein and normally shifted into engagement with the teeth of the inner ring to lock the latter against rotation, by the inner peripheral edge of the outer ring, the said outer ring having a portion of its inner edge cutaway at one point to receive the said locking ball and free the inner ring for movement.

ARTHUR W. LAWRENCE. 

